John Locke – Biography – Free PDF Download

EARLY LIFE

• Locke was born on 29 August 1632, in a small thatched cottage by the church in Wrington, Somerset, about 12 miles from Bristol.
• In 1647, Locke was sent to the prestigious Westminster School in London.After completing studies there, he was admitted to Christ Church, Oxford, in the autumn of 1652 at the age of twenty.
• Locke was awarded a bachelor’s degree in February 1656 and a master’s degree in June 1658.
• During this time, Locke served as Secretary of the Board of Trade and Plantations and Secretary to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.

LIFE

• Locke became involved in politics in early 1670. Locke composed the bulk of the Two Treatises of Government.
• The work is now viewed as a more general argument against absolute monarchy and for individual consent as the basis of political legitimacy.
• Although Locke was associated with the influential Whigs, his ideas about natural rights and government are today considered quite revolutionary for that period in English history.

LATER

• Locke fled to Netherland and did not return home until after the Glorious Revolution. The bulk of Locke’s publishing took place upon his return from exile – his aforementioned Essay Concerning Human Understanding, the Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration all appearing in quick succession.
• He died on 28 October 1704, and is buried in the churchyard of the village of High Laver.Locke never married nor had children.

ARCHITECT OF MODERN GOVERNMENT

1. Human rights provided by nature
2. Social contract
3. Revolution
4. Property rights
5. Citizens are supreme

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